“Unfit for a Résumé” By Matt Hubert © 2006

There are no clouds
in the sky above,
just a ghastly dome of grey.
Cars swim around a man
in a parking-lot-sized puddle.
The man, whose knee-length
canary yellow raincoat garners
insincere words of pity and
condescending looks from strangers,
maintains his composure while
pushing rows of metal that they
dare not touch in this weather.
With each step the man’s faded black
weather-beaten shoes become
more and more waterlogged.
In his path, unconcerned motorists
switch on CD players,
windshield wipers,
and temperature controls
while disobeying crosswalk stop signs.
Customers and co-workers alike
show little respect for the man
who spends six hours as the store’s robot.
As the water seeps into his every pore,
he nearly blows a fuse,
repeating one mind-numbing,
foot-thumping task over and over
until his shift is finally over.
Only then can the man
peel off his liquid-laden uniform,
dry his straggly, dripping hair
and begin to rant.
Never does he dare say a word
to his boss on the clock.
That sort of behavior
could cost him that job.